Discovering a Clue

Commander Feng showed a look of approval on his face when he saw Su Fei readily agree.

"No problem. If we can catch this scoundrel, it will be a great merit for our Thousand Households Office."

"I'll have all the case files and investigation records sent to your Hundred Households duty room immediately. If you need manpower, just say the word, and my colleagues from the Thousand Households Office are at your disposal."

"Thank you, sir."

Su Fei picked up the case file and turned to leave.

Commander Feng watched Su Fei's retreating figure, a strange glint in his eyes.

Why did Su Fei seem so confident?

He hadn't heard that Su Fei was skilled in lightness techniques. It was already impressive for someone so young to possess such profound internal energy cultivation, not to mention that set of powerful palm techniques.

No matter how he thought about it, Su Fei wouldn't have had time to learn anything else.

It was probably just Su Fei's naturally calm personality.

When Su Fei returned to his Hundred Households duty room, his desk was already piled high with a thick stack of case files, and next to them was a kraft paper envelope.

Inside were the investigation records for the Zhang family massacre from the previous night.

Clearly, Commander Feng was highly efficient, as these items were already prepared and placed on his desk.

Without any delay, Su Fei sat down and began to read.

The case files detailed Plum Blossom's crime spree over the past five years.

From his first crime in Cangzhou to his later movements in the southwest, northwest, and other regions, his victims ranged from the daughters of officials to common women, and his modus operandi was always the same.

He would infiltrate at night, use poisonous smoke to incapacitate the women, commit his assault, and then kill them, leaving behind a plum blossom specimen.

Su Fei's fingertips traced the case files as the God-tier Insight Technique quietly activated. His mind became clear, and his thoughts became incredibly sharp.

"After committing crimes a few times in one place, he would disappear for a period before moving to another. The women he chose were all between sixteen and twenty years old."

"In Qingzhou, he targeted the Zhang family in the northern part of the city. The Zhang family's courtyard walls were two zhang high, yet they were like mere decorations, easily breached by him, which shows his lightness techniques are indeed extraordinary."

He opened the kraft paper envelope, which contained the investigation records and several crime scene sketches.

Su Fei stared at the materials, rereading them several times.

His brow gradually furrowed.

He suddenly discovered something interesting.

These records had a commonality: every victim was between sixteen and twenty years old.

Not a single one was under sixteen or over twenty-one.

It wasn't necessarily strange that he favored this age group.

But the problem was that dozens of women, over time, all fell within this age range.

How did Plum Blossom accurately pinpoint these young women?

It was peculiar.

Even with the conveniences afforded to him as an Imperial Guard, it would be difficult for Su Fei to investigate the ages of women in any location.

A flower thief who was hunted by everyone in the martial arts world.

Where did he get the information about these young women?

How could he possess such extensive capabilities?

Su Fei fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he thought of a place.

Household registration. If he could access these women's household registration, wouldn't that mean he knew their ages and addresses?

Su Fei's eyes brightened slightly.

Plum Blossom must have first obtained the household registration information of these women.

The only place where one could access household registration information was the government's Household Registration Office; even the Imperial Guard's case file room couldn't access it.

Su Fei glanced outside; it was still daytime.

He should act quickly.

Perhaps Plum Blossom would go there to check tonight.

Su Fei immediately got up and rode his horse to the Qingzhou Prefecture Yamen. As soon as he arrived at the entrance, the two guards saw Su Fei and immediately bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Dragon Tiger Imperial Guard Officer Su."

Su Fei was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected the title "Dragon Tiger Imperial Guard" to have spread so far that even the prefecture guards recognized him.

He waved his hand and dismounted.

"No need. I need to go to the Household Registration Office to check some documents."

He didn't state his specific reason, in order to prevent any leaks.

One of the constables didn't ask any further questions and simply spoke to the person next to him.

"Take a look here first. I'll take Lord Su to the Household Registration Office."

Then he got up and led the way.

A constable quickly stood up and led the way, his attitude respectful, showing no hint of negligence.

The Household Registration Office was located in a small courtyard to the west of the Prefecture Office.

He pushed open the courtyard gate.

There was only an old clerk sitting by a stone table, drinking tea in the courtyard.

"This is the Qingzhou Household Registration Office. Why are you the only one guarding it?"

The old clerk turned to look at Su Fei. Seeing his Flying Fish Robe, he knew he was from the Imperial Guard.

"Reporting to you, sir, this is the Household Registration Office. I am the clerk responsible for this place."

"Besides the occasional person coming to check documents, very few people come here. I am the only one guarding it."

"May I ask what your orders are, sir?"

Su Fei scanned his surroundings. The courtyard walls were barely over ten feet high, and there wasn't even a patrolling soldier.

Let alone Plum Blossom, who was in the Xiantian Realm, even an ordinary thief could easily scale the wall and get in.

He was already seven or eight parts certain in his heart. He followed the old clerk into the main building where the household registration books were stored.

"Take me to see them."

The old clerk agreed and led the way.

They entered a room.

Inside, there were dozens of wooden shelves, neatly stacked with household registration books. The shelves were labeled, categorized by gender, age, and address.

Su Fei casually pulled out a scroll from the shelf and opened it. It was for a woman in her early twenties. It not only recorded her name, age, address, and family situation in detail, but also included a palm-sized portrait. Her features were clear and lifelike.

"What's the deal with this portrait?"

The old clerk explained from the side.

"Reporting to you, sir, the Prefecture Office regulations require portraits in the household registration books to be updated every two years. This is to prevent identity theft and impersonation."

Su Fei's mind suddenly became clear.

The household registration books even had portraits.

It all added up. Before Plum Blossom committed any crime, he must have visited the Household Registration Office first.

He obtained the information about Miss Zhang from here.

It was no coincidence that Plum Blossom could accurately pinpoint the residences of women between sixteen and twenty years old, and know their addresses and appearances clearly.

With the lax security of this Household Registration Office, and Plum Blossom's Major Accomplishment level Lightness Skill and stealth techniques, sneaking in to look at the household registration books was as easy as pie.

"Have any strangers been here recently? Or have you heard any disturbances at night?"

The old clerk thought carefully and shook his head.

"No, sir. The last time anyone from the Prefecture Office came here was a month ago. Recently, besides you, no one else has come here during the day."

Su Fei was not surprised. With Plum Blossom's abilities, sneaking in under the nose of an ordinary old clerk would leave no trace.

Even if the old clerk had the luck to discover Plum Blossom, what could he do? He would probably have become a dead man long ago.

He placed the household registration book back in its original position.

As long as Plum Blossom intended to commit crimes in Qingzhou, he would definitely visit this place again.

Su Fei casually flipped through a few more household registration books in the office.

He also asked the old clerk about some daily management matters, then got up to leave.

"Thank you, old sir."